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Wednesday

Surprise! You trot out to fetch your horse from the paddock
and find his sturdy turnout blanket has somehow been transformed into confetti.
Or the barn owner texts a photo, showing how your dear equine’s winter rug is
now ripped into ribbons. A comparable
new blanket costs $90 – or even a few hundred dollars, if
you popped for a fancy one.

You glance at the calendar. Spring has just sprung, even
though the nights (and some days) are still chilly enough to warrant blanketing
your horse.

Plus, he’s a senior. He’s in his late 20’s.

And you have a closet filled with horse blankets in various sizes
– just none that will fit this particular one. Uh-oh!

So what do you do?

Sure, you can patch the thing with duct tape, but that stuff
will come undone in a stiff wind, a pelting rain, or a hearty horse roll.

Barn-supplied photo.

I fixed my horse’s
blanket myself and saved a bundle.

As you’ve guessed, this just happened to me. My cranky, old,
dear, saintly Thoroughbred tore the tar out of his medium-weight turnout
blanket. It was a wreck. But I didn’t really want to spring for a new one at
this point. Sure, I hope he will live a dozen more years. But he’s retired and
living out his last years on a quiet, out-of-the-way farm with endless acres of
rolling hills – not in a fancy show stable, where horses sport sparkling attire
every day.

The barn owner offered to have my horse’s rug laundered for
$35 and mended for $15/hour (although he said he had no idea how many hours
that might take).

That’s at least two
bags of senior grain, I thought.

I thanked him and indicated that I would give the blanket
repair a try on my own.

I trekked out to the farm and spread the tattered horse
garment over a fence. Then I beat it with a broom to knock off the biggest
clumps of dried mud.

I fastened the biggest rips closed with a couple dozen
oversized safety pins, folded the blanket, and tossed it in my car.

Toting the soiled and shredded rug into the one laundromat
in the tri-county area that still take horse items, I pleaded my case with the
lady at the counter.

Three days and $12 later, I picked up the much-cleaner
blanket and carted it to my sewing corner at home.

LAN/The Mane Point photo. All rights reserved.

I arranged the torn horse garment on the floor and
hand-stitched the rips.

LAN/The Mane Point photo. All rights reserved.

Hunting through my fabric and trim remnants, I found several
lengths of black grosgrain ribbon. I pinned these over the hand-sewing before
top-stitching them in place.

LAN/The Mane Point photo. All rights reserved.

I also had to machine-stitch the torn area around one of the
belly straps, reinforcing the region with a sturdy patch on the inside.

LAN/The Mane Point photo. All rights reserved.

Now my off-the-track Thoroughbred sports a few racing
stripes on one side of his blanket. We think that’s somehow appropriate, even though
his saddle-work days are long gone.

Tuesday

Mushy old toothbrushes can be extremely useful tools at the
horse stables. In fact, plenty of equestrians keep cast-off toothbrushes in
their horse grooming kits or tack boxes for a host of practical purposes. (No, most of us don’t brush our horses’
teeth.)

Equestrians and horse lovers probably replace personal
toothbrushes regularly – just like many dentists instruct us to do. In fact,
the American Dental Association recommends individuals toss out old
toothbrushes every three months.

Instead of throwing away those soggy old toothbrushes, smart
horse lovers hold onto them for use at the barn. Following are ten examples of
ways used toothbrushes may come in handy for anyone who cares for horses. Thoroughly
cleaned, soft old toothbrushes can be useful barn equipment for many practical
purposes.

Adapted by this user from ABSFreePic image.

1. Applying hoof
polishes and dressings

Hoof dressings (such as hoof blackeners, oils, pine tar,
polishes, and other products) can be quite sticky and messy. An old toothbrush
makes the ideal application tool.

2. Mixing equine
medications

Equine veterinarians often prescribe medicines and
nutritional supplements for horses, and these compounds may arrive in powdered
or concentrated form. Some may even be produced in caplets, which must be
crushed and diluted with water before administering them to horses. An old
toothbrush serves as a super stirring tool for whipping up doses of medicines
for equines, as it fits neatly into smaller containers.

3. Stirring up bran
mash or beet pulp

If a horse owner wants to treat an equine to a bucket of
warm, soupy bran mash or beet pulp, an old toothbrush makes a super stirrer.

4. Cleaning tack

Equestrians invest considerable funds in their bridles,
reins, martingales, girths, surcingles and other leather training and horse
show equipment. Cleaning and polishing this gear helps to keep these items
supple and presentable and to preserve them for long-term use. A soft old
toothbrush can be a useful tool for scrubbing oils, sweat, mildew, and debris
from buckles, loops, and leather straps on horse tack.

This article originally appeared
(in an earlier form) on another publisher’s property, which is now closed. All
publication rights reside with the author.

5. Scrubbing bits

After use, a horse’s bit can be grimy and tarnished and
covered with gunk. A soft toothbrush is ideal for scrubbing the bit clean. A
dab of whitening toothbrush makes this task even easier – and adds a
horse-friendly minty taste as well.

6. Conditioning a saddle

A quality leather English or Western saddle is a sturdy
investment for any equestrian. Horseback riders tend to guard their saddles
carefully, cleaning and conditioning them faithfully. A brand-new leather
saddle must be conditioned extensively. Leather saddles need to be treated
periodically (after cleaning) with an oil or leather conditioning product. A
clean, but extra mushy, toothbrush is handy for applying these products into
the many nooks and crannies of a well-crafted equestrian saddle.

7. Cleaning stall
buckets

Each horse’s feed and water buckets must be cleaned
regularly. Old toothbrushes are great for scrubbing out food residue, slimy
stains, and other messes from these containers.

8. Polishing
equestrian helmets

A horseback rider’s own head protection gear may become
grimy with repeated use. A clean used toothbrush is super for scrubbing stains
from an equestrian safety helmet.

9. Polishing boots

Equestrian paddock boots, cowboy boots, and tall leather
riding boots can quickly become dusty, muddy or worse at the barn. A ratty old
toothbrush is perfectly suited to cleaning and shining riding boots. The
bristles fit neatly beneath laces and zippers, into tooling, along insole
lines, and under heels.

10. Brushing a barn dog’s
teeth.

Dogs tend to be part of the scene at the horse barn. Pet
owners often find old, soft toothbrushes useful for cleaning their canine
companions’ teeth every once in a while.

Here’s the most
important tip, when using old toothbrushes.

It’s important to mark them clearly for their specific
purposes. Of course, it’s essential to label used toothbrushes (with stickers
or permanent markers), so they will be devoted to their exclusive uses. No one
would want to stick a pine tar or saddle soap toothbrush into a food or oral
medication container or an animal’s mouth.

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